Floor and ceiling plate.



No. 636,943. 4 Patenten Nov. I4, |899V l A. J. BEATUN.

FLOUR AND CEILING PLATE.

(Applicltion B196. Har. 11, 1898.)

(No -Model.)

WM5/7555.55 y 57 VIE/far A En J WL UNITED STATES.`

PATENT (-)EEICE ALLAN J. BEAToN, or SCUTHINGTON CONNECTICUT, AssrGNoE To THE r BEAToN .t BRADLEY COMPANY, oE sAME PLACE.

SPECIFIGATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 636,943, dated November 14, 1899.

Application led March 11, 1898.

T0 a'ZZ whomA it may concern,.-

Beit known that I, ALLAN J. BEATON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Southington, in the county of Hartford and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Floor and Ceiling Plates, of which the following is a specification.

l My invention relates to improvements in ioor and ceiling plates and the objects of my improvements are simplicity and economy in construction, with improved appearance and efficiency in the article. l

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a plan or face View of my plate. Fig. 2 is a reverse plan View of the same. Fig. 3 is a plan view of the two confronting end portions from one side of my plate, the said portions being sli ghtly` separated from each other. Fig. 4 is an edge view of the two parts of the plate looking upon their inner edge as the two parts are separated and arranged with their upper sides facing each other. Fig. 5 is an edge view of the end portions shown in Fig. 3.

One of the main objects of my improvement is to improve the appearance of the divided floor or ceiling plate by making an indistinguishable division seam or joint between the parts thereof when seen in 'plan View, as in Fig. 1, or other View that shows the upper or face side of the plate. For convenience of description I have and shall refer to this side as the upper side,notwithstanding the fact that said side becomes the under side when the plate is placed overhead and up against a ceiling. The plate with the indistinguishable joint is illustrated in the drawings. In general it is in the usual form of a two-part plate-that is to say, two parts in the form of I semirings with abutting ends.- The part A. is provided with projecting hooked lugs 8 and 9, the recesses or opposing inner faces of which lugs open radially and extend vertically through said lugs. The projecting end of the lug 9 is reduced in thickness somewhat from its under face, so as to make room for the locking-plate 10, and said under face is also made to slant outwardly a little, as shown in Fig. 4. A rim or partial rim extends around the circular inner edge of each of the parts serial No.`c'7s.445. (No model.)

A B, so as to form two walls or posts 11 12 on each side of a socket at the middle portion of' the rim. The wall or post 11 has cast orotherwise a'ixed in it a flexible wire 13, which 55 before t-he springs 14 are inserted stands out straight, as indicated by the broken lines in the part B, Fig. 4. AThe end of the Wall or post 12 on the other side of the spring-socket is preferably provided with a slight recess 6o 15, Fig. 2, that receivesthe bent-down end of the wire 13. The upper or face side of each part is provided with an ornamental Work in relief in any desired design, and at each end of the part A portions of the relief ornaments are omitted from the end panel to form rabbets, as at 16, Figs. 3, 4, and 5, and on the side having the lug 8 a portion of the borderledge is left in the form of a lug 17, slightly projecting from the straight edge of the abut- 7o ting end of said part A.

The part B of the plate has its inner rim or partial rim provided with rounded radial projections 18 for being received within the recesses of the hooked lugs 8 9 of the part A, 75 as shown in Fig. 2. By the side of that one ofthe radial projections 18 that engages with the hooked lug 9 the plate is thickened to form a flat base upon which to pivot the hori- Zontal latch-plate 10 by means of the vertical 8o pin 19. When the `hooked lugs and projections of the two parts of the plate are properly engaged with each other, the latch-plate 10 is turned into the position shown in Fig. l2 to positively hold the parts in engagement. l By making the face of the lug 9 slanting or inclined, as described, the latch-plate can be crowded upon said inclined face with sufcient force to make it retain its place against accidental unfastening.

At each end of the part B the relief ornaments on the face side'are continued over the straight edge of said ends to form lips 20, the l contour of which at the projecting edge follows the general design of or is in harmony- 95 with the general ornamentation, and the pro jecting portion is equal to that portion of the ornament that is omitted from the ends of the part A. These lips lap over upon the rabbet 16 of the companion part and Wholly roo conceal the division between the confronting ends of the two-part plate on its face side.

rThe division, however, in fact extends to the surface and in a sense is still visible; but it reaches the surface on the line of one of the overlapping ornaments, which line cannot readily be distinguished from the general ornamentation, whereby the division cannot be visually located. At that edge of the partB which comes opposite the lug 17 of the part A is a rabbet 21, Fig. 3, to receive the said lug 17. This rabbet 21, when the two parts are together, can hardly be distinguished from the similar spaces made for ornament at the edge in the other portions of the plate.

The springs 14, like ordinary springs in floor and ceiling plates, are to hold the plate in position on the pipe. These springs have two arms for pressing upon the pipe and a holding eye or head 19 at the middle between said two arms. The narrow neck of the spring between its head and arms is placed over the socket or space between the posts 11 and 12 and the spring crowded in to place. The wire 13 is then bent down to firmly secure the spring, as shown.

In putting the two parts together' the lug 17 is first placed in the rabbet 21, with the two parts of the plate standing edge to edge, but in diverging planes. After seating the said lug iu its rabbet the parts are moved, as if fulcrumed on said lug, to bring the said two parts into one plane, when the projections 18 will enter the hooked lugs S and 9. The latchplate is then turned on its pivot and crowded into place, as shown in Fig. 2. The projections and hooked lugs prevent the two parts from moving away from each otherin aradial direction. The-lug 9, lying between the part B and its latch-plate, will prevent the two parts on that side of the plate from disengaging by any up-and-down movement. The lug 17, engaging the rabbet 21, and the projecting lug at the other side of the plate also prevent disengagement by a vertical movement in either direction. The rabbets and overlapping ornaments also serve to prevent vertical disengagement in one direction.

It is apparent that some changes from the specific construction herein disclosed may be made, and therefore I do not wish to be understood as limiting myself to the precise form of construction shown and described, but desire the liberty to make such changes in working my invention as may fairly come within the spirit and scope of the same.

I am aware that a prior patent shows and describes a ceiling-tile with securing-lugs on its back side at its abutting edges and on its face side a raised bead at the division, covering the abutting edges and forming a distinguishing-mark that serves to make the division more prominent and more readily located, visually, than it would be without such bead, and the same is hereby disclaimed.

I claim as my invention- 1. A floor and ceiling plate having at the inner circular edge thereof the springholding socket-walls 11 and 12, in combination with the spring having the eye or head with a nar'- row neck seated between the said socket-walls and the two widely-expanded arms extending from the side walls in opposite directions along the inside of the said ci rculared ge of the plate, and the flexible holding-wire with one end fixed within one of the said socket-walls and the exposed portion of the said wire bent over the neck of the spring and end of the other one of the. said socket-walls, substantially as described.

2. A floor and ceiling plate consisting of two parts in the form of seniirings with abutting end faces and fastening-lugs projecting on the inside beyond the line of division between said abutting faces, the face side of said parts having relief ornaments with portion omitted therefrom on one part near the abutting ends, the companion abutting end having an overlapping relief ornament projecting beyond its abutting face and in harmony with the general ornamentation, said projecting portion being equal to that portion of the ornament that is omitted from the companion abutting end, whereby the location of the division cannot readily be visually distinguished, all substantially as described.

3. A divided door and ceiling plate, one part having at its abutting end an abutting face, the projecting hooked lug 8 inside of said abutting face and the projecting lug 17 outside of said abutting face, the other part having at its companion abutting end the projection 18 on its inner face, an abutting face at its end, the overlapping ornament 20 on the outside of its said abutting face and the rabbet 21 on the face side at the outer edge of said part, substantially as described.

ALLAN J. BEATON.

lVitnesses:

MARCUS 1I. HoLooM, THOMAS F. WELCH. 

